


A Friend in Need

by majesticduxk



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Blood, Child Abuse, Gen, GoM catch up regularly, HS GoM, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Kasamatsu is a good senpai, Kise is sunshine, MiraGen are heartless bastards, Miragen having to make amends, Physical Abuse, Protective Generation of Miracles, Violence, au-ish, crying!kise, hurt!Kise, kagami is a sweetheart, non-graphic abust, protective Kaijo, protective Kasamatsu, they all live close enough to catch up in HS, they really care about Kise, they see the error of their ways, thoughtless MiraGen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 09:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26969401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesticduxk/pseuds/majesticduxk
Summary: When did it become normal to hide the bruises?Kise can’t remember the last time he didn’t have some sort of reminder that his manager was unhappy with him. But it’s escalated so slowly that the beatings are just normal. And as long as it doesn’t show on his face, his fine right? It takes yet another verbal bashing from his friends for Kise to remember that life doesn’t have to hurt, that the people around him don’t get to hurt him. So he’s going to make changes.Unfortunately, things get worse before they get better, and MiraGen are going to have to come through and show Kise he is important to them.
Comments: 40
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a/n this is just shamelessly self-indulgent and melodramtic hurt/comfort. I want to read ALL the Kise hurt comfort and I don’t even care if the stories are inherently the same – that’s the point about emotional porn.
> 
> Please note: whilst the violence isn't graphic, Kise *is* hurt, so if this is concerning for you, please don't read on.
> 
> (also this is unbetaed although I did read through it)

Kise thought about quitting. 

As time went on, he thought about it a lot. Did he even like modeling? he wondered as he covered the bruises on the way to another shoot. Should I keep going? he thought, as he tried to keep a sexy expression while someone pressed on his bruised ribs. It's not just that thought. Somtimes he wonders if he'd like modeling even if it didn’t hurt. 

Right now though, it hurts. It really hurts. He's embarassed to admit it, but he can't remember the last time his body felt good. And... and a lot of that has to do with his manager. And modeling. So he wants to quit - he thinks he wants to quit - but it's not that easy. What happens if he leaves? How will he support himself? And he has to keep supporting himself, there’s not one else. Only him. 

But it hurts… 

I’ll just give it a little more time, he decides, ignoring a pushy photographer who is telling him to _smile_. I just need to keep going a litle while longer. It'll get better, and then it will all be normal again. His life will just be school, work, and basketball. That’s his life, that’s his normal. And right now he craves normal, even if normal hurts. He's not brave enough to change yet. Not yet, even as little part of him wonders why normal has to hurt so much.

Idly, Kise rubbed his hip, knowing just from the feeling that it was going to be a big bruise. At least he could hide this one easilt. The ones on his wrists were more troublesome - they were beyond being hidden with make-up, so he'd taken to wearing long, ruffled sleeves ( _What the fuck is wrong with you, Kise_ , Aomine had asked. _You look… fuck, you look ridiculous_ ), but it was better than worrying that the makeup would come off the bruises ( _It’s fashion, Aominecchi! I even started a new trend! Kise had told him brightly along with a big smile. But that’s okay! You wouldn’t know fashion if it bit you on the nose_ ). 

"Kise! Move!" The director grabbed his wrist, pulling him over to the bookshelf. 

Apologies on his lips, Kise smiled and slid into place. Although he did start to wonder. As he got changed and left the shoot, he wondered. And as he grabbed his strawberry milkshake sliding in next to Murisakabara, he continued to wonder. Since when did he have to hide the bruises, he wondered. Why was he even hiding them? What would happen if he told someone? What would happen if he told his friends?

“… and it’s just not a good idea, don’t you agree, Kise?”

Kise looked up. His Teiko friends were all there, looking at him with varying degrees of… Kise didn’t want to put those looks into words, altought _disdain, disugust_ and unhappiness floated across his mind. 

“Ahhhh. I am sorry, Akashicchi, but my mind was elsewhere.

Midrorima heaved a heavy sigh. “Honestly, Kise, you could at least listen when we talk to you.”

Ah… what? 

“I mean. I am sorry, Midorimachi, but no one _was_ talking to me and-“

“Kise-chin doesn’t like being ignored.”

Kise blinked at Murisakibara. “Ah, no. No, that really isn’t the issue, I was just thinking about other things and-“

Kise jumped as Aomine smashed his hands down on the table. (Last time his manager had done that, he’d then turned around and slapped Kise in the face. He hadn’t been able to work for two weeks his face had been so bruised and swollen). 

“If you don’t want to be here, don’t come!”

Now Kise was really confused. “But of course I want to be here! I make sure to schedule the time in so that-“

“So now you just schedule us? What is your problem?”

Kise's mouth opened and shut a few times. What was going on here? 

“Ehhh? Aominecchi? What do you mean? Of course I have to schedule otherwise my manager would make me do other things,” and perhaps hurt him worse if he missed a job to just hang out with friends, “and this is important to me-“

“Whatever, Kise.” 

Aomine stormed off, and Kise really didn’t understand. 

“I don’t understand,” he offered the table. “I… I like being here. I like seeing you. And you get angry when I talk, and angry when I don’t talk. And I just don’t…”

“Don’t you think you’re making this too much about you, Kise?” 

It was Midorima’s turn to storm off. What the hell was going on? He turned his gaze on Kuroko and Akashi (Murisakibara was still eating, and as long as he is eating, he was probably okay). 

“They are upset because you won’t play basketball, Kise-kun.”

Kise almost laughed. He couldn’t! He was pretty sure he had cracked ribs which he hadn’t told anyone about (why would he. His friends didn’t care. And as long as his face was okay his manager didn’t care. After all, Yamamoto-san made sure to not hit his face. Most of the time. Only when he was really angry. And it was easy enough to make sure that he didn’t model topless. Yamamoto-san was smart after all. He knew how to look after his product), and he still had to practice at school. Kasamatsu-senpai wasn’t gentle if he thought Kise was slacking and right now everything hurt... 

Why didn’t he tell his captain? Kise suddenly wondered. Senpai was both a good senpai and a good captain. But he wasn’t as close to senpai as he was to his friends… Kise felt his breath catch in his throat. Could he do that? Was he that brave? He could do this, he could take this moment and tell them and-

“I just can’t at the moment, because-“

“If Kise-chin doesn’t want to play, then maybe he shouldn’t hang out.”

And the moment was gone. Hurt flashed across Kise’s eyes, but he was good at hiding, and quickly covered it with a light laugh. 

“Ah. So good things do come to an end. Well, I guess that’s me for today. Tell the other’s I said goodbye.”

And then Kise was gone.

~o~

“Why did you say that, Murisakibara-kun?”

Murissakibara finished the handful of onion rings he was eating. “Mine-chin and Mido-chin want to play. And Kise-chin is being selfish not playing.”

If he hadn't been looking at Kise's face when Murisakibara said that, Kuruko would have agreed. Kise hadn’t been playing the Friday games for a few weeks now. He hadn’t thought much about it, just put it down to Kise being Kise. But that really wasn’t like Kise to not play. He still wanted to beat Aomine. And more to the point, he just loved basketball. 

Taking a quiet sip of his shake, Kuroko considered. It was easy to get caught in Kise’s smile and laugh and forget that he felt things too. Like today. That had definitely been hurt before he smoothed it away with his smile. It was even easier to get caught up in Aomine’s annoyance, and forget that was just part of his bad personality. Without even realising it, everyone, Kuroko included, just assumed that Kise was being difficult. But… Kise wasn’t difficult. There was no reason for Kise just to say no for hell of it. That was much more Aomine’s style.

And still. Kise was constantly saying no to playing. For the first time, Kuroko wondered if something else was going on. Friday nights were important to all of them. In their own ways they were all busy – with school and basketball mainly, although Kise also had his busy job. But even with that busy job Kise always made the effort to come (although sometimes, for a few weeks in a row he wouldn’t, and then when he turned up he looked tired and fragile. Aomine would always make a crass joke about partying too hard, and Kise would laugh, but now Kuroko was wondering about everything). What was the reason that Kise wasn’t playing?

“What? Of course he’s gone. Fucking-“

“Language, Daiki.” 

Aomine just grumbled quietly to himself. Wasn’t like he wanted to play with the airhead anyway.

~o~

The next week Kise didn’t go to meet up at Maji Burger with the Teiko crew.

He hadn’t planned on it anyway – not after the last week (did they even want him there? Was he only good enough to hang out with if he played basketball? Wasn’t his company enough? Weren’t they his _friend_? Of course basketball was important but right now he really couldn’t play. He was so sore, always so sore). 

And he was sick of being hurt. It wasn't just bruises, he had feelings too! And he was so sick of... what? Sick of Aomine and Midorima putting him down. Sick of Kuroko avoiding his hugs. Sick of Akashi threatening him. Sick of all of them ignoring his texts. Sick of not being important! Would friends really treat him like that?

If he was being honest, Kise could admit that it wasn’t just them. He was sensitive and delicate. The actions by themselves were wearing, but he normally could handle the slings and arrows of their unkindnesses… but right now it was too much. The bruises formed from fists and walls that bloomed across his skin were starting to take a mental toll. He was sick of the emergency room hospital visits to make sure he hadn’t punctured a lung. 

He was sick of being hurt! He was sick of hiding!

Kise paused. It was the first time he’d ever thought that. 

Sick of hiding. 

Because he was. He _was_ hiding. He was hiding all his hurts, and why was he doing that?

The thought was almost heretical (Yamamoto-san would definitely not be pleased to hear it), but Kise was feeling brave and grabbed it before it sidled away. He forcibly planted it in his brain, and nurtured it until other thoughts came. In no time at all Kise started to wonder, when had it even started? Why did he start hiding it? And why was he hiding it now? 

When Kise realised he couldn’t remember the first time Yamamota-san hit him, he cried. He sat down on his futon and cried even though it hurt his bruised ribs and his pounding head and even though his eyes became scratchy and tight. But it was a different kind of hurt. It was freeing, because even as he cried, Kise realised that he could stop this! He could quit. Terrifying as the thought was, Kise could leave Yamamoto-san, and modeling and things would be okay. 

But he first needed a plan. 

Kise had been working since he was very young, and he was pretty sure that between all his savings accounts he had enough to support himself until he finished high school. (And why did he have accounts that his manager didn’t even know about? When did that become a good idea? Kise didn't remember much before his parents left, but he remembered the day his father signed his contract with the manager. He’d even signed over the guardianship papers. Had his father even read what he signed? Or was he just glad that his son wouldn’t be his problem anymore?) 

Even if he never got access to his main account, if he was careful, Kise knew he could make it work. If worst came to worst he could probably ask his parents (I mean... they sent money that time he couldn't pay the hospital bill. They didin't even ask him what was happening. Just transferred money to pay his account.)

It was a terrifying thought. But was it more terrifying than things staying the way they were? What would change? Were the friends who didn’t even want him around worth throwing this all away for? 

(Kise had done a lot of soul searching, because the answer was _no_ , his friends were not worth throwing his career away for. But _Kise_ was worth something. And it had taken a lot of reading and a lot of tears for Kise to acknowledge that what was happening, was abuse. Kise didn’t like the word. He didn’t like to think it applied to him. He didn’t like to think about injuries he had been putting up with it for years and just not done anything about it. Kise didn’t like to think about how weak he was.)

He came to a decision though: he would quit and he would do it for himself. This wasn’t who he wanted to be. And even though it was scary, next time he saw Yamamoto he would tell him he was quitting. 

The happy thought kept Kise going for most of the week. Before he knew it, it was Friday – Maji Burger catch up day – and also the day Yamamoto came to his apartment to talk about work for the next week. Kise had been unable to concentrate on anything this week (earning himself a lot of unhappiness from senpai), too focused on this final moment, on _finally_ telling Yamamoto that Kise was quitting, and when the words were out of his mouth, he felt so much _relief_. 

In retrospect, Kise should have done it somewhere in public instead of the privacy of his own flat. 

~o~

When Kise came to he was on the floor, with blood on his face (did he hit his head when he was knocked down?) and what felt like bruises all over his body. At least he assumed he had bruises all over his body. Everything hurt more than it had ever hurt before. Rolling over, he cried out - because damn that hurt! - and then froze. What if his manager was still there? Laying there for long moments he listened. And there was silence. Yamamoto-san was gone, which was a relief. But he couldn’t stay on the floor… he had to get up. Slowly he dragged himself to his feet and made his way to the bathroom. 

Looking in the mirror, Kise had to admit he was shocked. He looked... really bad. Bruised and bloody didn’t even start to cover it. There was not way he’d be working even in the next month (did he manage to quit? He vaguely remembered Yamamoto screaming that he owned Kise and he’d never get away, but surely even Yamamoto wasn’t that dramatic?), and after he’d rubbed off the worst of the blood, Kise went to look for his phone. 

Which was missing. 

Along with his computer, wallet and keys.

(A quick search showed his other bank cards, the ones with his real savings, and cash stash still untouched). 

It was still a blow. A huge blow in fact. Everything that could have helped him get away, to get help, was gone. Had Yamamoto tried to trap him? That didn’t even make sense. He could still walk out and-

No keys. If he left here, he wasn’t getting back in. If he left here, he had nowhere to go. He couldn’t call anyone. He couldn’t get a train. He couldn’t do anything. He was trapped. 

Collapsing back on the sofa, Kise gently wrapped his arms around himself, and cried. What was he going to do? 

~o~

Kuroko was sipping on shake, staring at his phone. 

Kagami slid in beside him, burgers piled high. 

“Whatcha looking at, Kuroko?”

Kuroko put the phone down, turning his gaze on Kagami.

“The group chat. It’s been a week since Kise-kun replied.”

Kagami took a big bite of his burger, even as the other Miracles slid in. He ignored the glare Aomine sent him (it was habit by now, the two got on reasonably well), and thought about it. Kuroko had told him about last week – and it sounded like the Miracles had gotten a bit too mean. Sure, Kise could be an annoying crybaby, but there was something fundamentally sweet about him, something the rest didn’t seem to see. 

“Why are you all so mean to Kise anyway?” Kagami asked before taking another bite of his burger. 

The question was met with silence. The silence lasted as long as it took Kagami to swallow his food. He glared at them. 

“What? You don’t think your mean to Kise? You all pick on him, yes, even you Kuroko, and you don’t answer his messages, and you tell him to go away, and-“

“What the hell, Bakagami? You think we should pander to him because he’s a spoilt princess?” Aomine snorted. “If his feelings get hurt because we don’t reply he needs to toughen the hell up.”

Kagami put his burger down. Kuroko pulled away, and even Murisakibara stopped eating. 

“ _Toughen up_? Do you even listen to yourself, Ahomine! If any of you were treated half as mean as you treat Kise, you’d be crying out this door! Kise is,” Kagami shook his head. “Kise is possibly one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. Is he overwhelming? Yes! Is he loud? Yes! Is he also a soft little puppy? Yes! And you all got your knickers in a knot because he wouldn’t play basketball. Did you even ask him _why_ he wasn’t playing?”

Kagami was shouting by the end. His eyes darted around, only to be met with stares. Shit. He hurriedly bowed his apologies, and only when the restaurant returned to normal did he pick up another burger. The next bite may have been a little aggressive, but sue him. 

“What do you mean, Taiga.”

Kagami glared at Akashi. “ _You_ don’t get to call me that. And I don’t know what I mean. But did any of you think to ask him if he was okay?”

Kuroko, who had silent, suddenly piped up. “I think he tried to tell us last week. Twice. The first time Aomine-kun and Midorima-kun spoke over him and then walked off-“

“Testu!”  
“I did no such think, Kuroko!”

“-then the second time, Murisakibara-kun told him to go away. I,” and Kuroko looked a little embarrassed, “I think I mentioned something after he left, but I never followed up on it.”

Akashi drummed his fingers against the tabletop. Now that Kuroko mentioned it, something of the sort had happened last week. He was embarrassed to admit that he, with his absolute knowledge, had missed something.

“Maybe he just needs us to invite him back?” Akashi wondered out loud. Was it really that simple?

Deciding to put actions into words, Akashi whipped out his phone, and sent Kise a message. 

_I was expecting you today. You should know better than to let me down_. 

Satisfied he went to put his phone away, but Kagami grabbed it. Akashi’s eyes flashed red. 

“Taiga-“

Kagami spoke over him. “What the fuck, Akashi? This isn’t checking in on Kise! This is a _threat_!”

Kuroko then looked it over. He paled, looking towards Akashi. 

“Akashi-kun…”

To Akashi’s displeasure, Aomine then grabbed his phone, and he and Midorima read the message. Aomine just shrugged. 

“What’s wrong with that. That’s just how Akashi talks to us.”

“ _No it’s not_ ”. Kagami’s voice was quiet yet hostile. “I’ve seen Kuroko’s messages-“

“What? When, Kagami-kun?”

“-and they don’t read like death threats!” Kagami dropped his head to the table, the _thunk_ causing Kuroko’s milkshake to wobble precariously. He turned his head and looked at Akashi, though his question was meant for all of them. “Do you even want Kise here?”

The replies were distressingly slow in coming. 

Kagami felt his heart break for poor Kise.

~o~

Time passed. Kise had no idea how much. Enough to cry himself out of tears though. Enough for him to realise that he needed a plan. He just didn’t know what to do, or where to start.

He shouldn’t have curled up on the couch though. His body was tight, and he moved like an old man as he attempted to stretch. 

“Ah!”

Something hurt a lot. Kise desperately hoped something wasn’t too badly damaged. Wait. Wait. He could do this. He knew what to do, and having a panic attack wasn’t going to help. Closing his eyes, he tried to go over his body, to make sure nothing was really wrong. His ribs didn’t feel broken, but they were pretty beat up. His head hurt so much – he must have hit it on the floor – and although it was buzzing, he wasn’t really dizzy, so it probably wasn’t a concussion. He might have sprained an ankle – hopefully not bad enough to be off it for six weeks, but then again it might be six weeks before he could show his face again, and as for the buzzing in his head-

“Oi, Kise! Open up! I know you’re in there!”

Kise opened his eyes. The buzzing must have been the doorbell. Deciding to take that as a win, Kise just rolled over and ignored Aomine. Wait – Aomine? What the hell was Aomine doing at his door? 

“Ryouta. The lights are on and we haven’t seen or heard from you in a week. Come to the door immediately.”

Shit. Akashi too? That meant they were probably all there, and Kise really didn’t want to deal with any of them. He still hadn’t decided if they were really his friends, and he was too tired and sore to do think about it anymore. 

“You don’t turn up, and then you rudely ignore our messages. That isn’t helping anything.”

Kise rolled over at that one. Really? Rude? Him? That would be a first. Normally they just ignored him, or told him to shut up. Anyway, he might have replied, if he’d had his phone. 

Rolling back over, to stick his head in the cushions, Kise also thought that maybe this time he wouldn’t have. 

~o~

“We obviously need to break the door down.”

Kagami looked on in horror as all the miracles agreed with Akashi. 

“You can’t just damage property!”

Akashi just glared at him. “One of my members is in there and needs help.“

Kagami just snorted. 

“So two things. One, Kise is a Kaijo player, Kasamatsu is his captain, not you. And secondly, you’ve all been a bag of dicks to him, maybe he just doesn’t want to see you?”

“Ridiculous.” 

The answer was quick, although given Akashi’s slight flush, he probably agreed with Kagami. Sighing, Kagami looked at the door. To be honest, he was a little worried too. He’d messaged Kise after Akashi’s threat, and not only was there no reply, but it hadn’t even been read. That was really unlike Kise. He might be at a job, Kagami reminded himself, but, and he really hated to admit it, he thought that there might really be something wrong. 

“Kise, if you do not open this door immediately, I will be forced to damage it in order to enter. And you know I don’t joke.”

There was no immediate movement behind the door, and Akashi scowled. 

“Are we really going to break in, Akashi-kun?”

He didn’t even bother looking at Kuroko. “Of course. My word is my bond. If I don’t keep that I have nothing.”

It was at that moment they heard the lock click, and then sound of feet moving away. Wasting not a moment longer, Akashi opened the door, only to see Kise collapse onto the sofa and pull a blanket around him. 

~o~

Kise had ignored them for as long as he could. But the problem was Akashi always followed through. And really, it was better to let them in and let Akashi think he won, rather than have his door destroyed. His manager wouldn’t be pleased with that.

... Ex-manager. Probably. 

On the slow walk over to the door, Kise formulated a plan. When they came in, he would pretend to be sick. It wasn’t a _total_ lie, since he felt absolutely awful. And his throat really did feel like it was full of glass shards. If he could just convince them he was sick… even in his head it sounded like it would probably fail, but it was the best, and only, plan he had. 

Unlocking the door as silently as he could, Kise then made his way back as quickly as he could. Still, the door was opened before he was ready, and he hastily pulled the blanket over him, hoping it covered everything it needed to. 

“Oi, Kise, what the hell?”

“Sorry Aominecchi,” Kise croaked. “Sick. You shouldn’t come in. Probably contagious.”

Midorima took a step back, but everyone else crowded in. To Kise’s intense horror, Aomine came right over and sat on the couch beside him, pulling him in. Kise’s gasp of pain was hidden by Aomine’s loud complaints, but Akashi’s eyes seemed to bore into him. 

“What’re you talking about? Idiots don’t get colds. And if you’re really sick you should have just told us, instead of pretending everything was fine. It’s not even-“

“Kise-chin, is this blood on the floor.”

Oh nooooo. Kise hadn’t done a great job of cleaning up the blood, but he hadn’t actually expected anyone to come either. 

“No.” Kise kept his answer short and tried to pull the blanket around his head. He desperately needed his face to be in shadow. 

“It’s definitely blood.” That was Kuroko’s voice now. “Akashi-kun, I think you should come look at this. There appears to be a trail.”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Kise just wanted them all to go away. 

“Kise…”

“Not now, please. I really am sick. I just need to sleep for a bit then I’ll be right as rain.” It was such a lie. But since he was lying and Akashi was out of the room… “I’m gonna be away for work for a few weeks to, so I’ll text everyone when I’m back and we can have a game then.”

After his long speech, Kise slumped, but only slightly. His body still hurt too much to really move, and he could cry when his teammates had gone. 

“Kise…”

Aomine’s voice was worried now, and Kise really didn’t need that right now. He couldn’t deal with anyone else’s distress. His own was enough! 

“I just need some quiet. I’ll text you all in a few weeks, promise.”

Aomine didn’t say anything else. Kise hoped that was the end of it. 

~o~

“What the hell happened here?” The words burst out of Kagami’s mouth as he looked around the bathroom. 

It was nothing short of a horror scene. Akashi and Kuroko maintained their calm expressions, though Kuroko’s eyes might have shown a little shock, but Midorima and Kagami wore matching looks of complete and utter horror. There were bloody towels and dried blood splotches everywhere. Clothes – obviously Kise’s with the weird ruffle sleeves – were just as stained. It took a few moments for Kagami to realise that this must be _Kise’s_ blood. 

“He’s hurt!” 

Spinning on a heel, Kagami went to charge out of the room, but Midorima grabbed his arm. 

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Shintaro is correct, Taiga. You can’t just run out there. Something is obviously very wrong, and yelling at Kise now will be counterproductive. I need to be the one to ask him what is wrong.”

He couldn’t control his snort. “You? You terrify him.”

Akashi didn’t disagree. “Be that as it may, I am still his captain-“

“Ex captain!”

“And he answers to me.”

It was Akashi’s turn to leave the room. Kagami was hot on his tail, but then he felt a small tug at the back of his shirt. 

“Don’t stop me-“

“I’m not stopping you, Kagami-kun. But I wanted to remind you that upset as you are, Kise needs our help now, and being mad at each other isn’t going to make anything better.”

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Kagami took a deep breath. Kuroko was right. Right now Kise obviously needed his friends. They could have a fight over it later. 

~o~

Akashi’s didn’t lower themselves for anyone. Yet, somehow, Akashi found himself on his knees in front of Kise. His face was shadowed by the blanket, but he could see slender fingers poking out, and they were shaking. If he looked hard, he could also see the ring of bruises that surrounded his wrist. _Bruises normally hidden by a frilly shirt_ , Akashi acknowledged to himself. 

“Kise, we need to discuss what has happened, but we won’t do that now. For now you just need to know that we have seen what is in the bathroom-“ Kise’s fingertips tightened at the edge of the blanket, but other than that he gave no indication that he’d heard, “-and we need to get you out of here.”

“I’m just sick. Let me sleep and I’ll see you in a few weeks.” 

Ryouta was stubborn, but he didn’t normally lie. Akashi was displeased. He had missed something very big. He still managed to keep his voice gentle. 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You need help right now. And we can’t leave you here alone. Now, I’ll get… Shintarou to find your belongings, and we will be leaving. You don’t have a choice.”

Kise’s hand started shaking. “I can’t do that.”

Whilst Akashi was willing to discuss it more, Aomine was not.

“For god’s sake, Kise, just accept the help and be done with it.”

He pulled at the blanket, and in slow motion he saw it slip out from Kise’s hold. Although he scrabbled to grab it again – and managed to catch it, basketball reflexes still at work, it wasn’t soon enough to stop Akashi seeing the dreadful bruises that covered Kise’s face and throat. Who knew how low those bruises went, Akashi through grimly. 

Abruptly, he stood. 

“Shintarou. Grab a pack and fill it with whatever useful school items you can find. Taiga, Tetsuya, Atsushi, look around for anything of value, anything that is Ryouta’s. Daiki, keep holding Ryouta, and don’t move him. Ryouta,” and Akashi’s voice gentled. “Please just sit here with Daiki while we get your most important belongings. You are leaving here tonight, and you are leaving with us. You have no choice.”

He didn’t give Kise a chance to complain, instead following after his miracles, mind working desperately to sort out this mess. 

~o~

In less than ten minutes Midorima was back. 

“I’ve packed a bag. He has a lot of clothes, so I wasn’t sure what to get, but I’ve got his uniforms and school books as well.”

Kuroko was next. “I’ve found some money, and jewelry, and cards in Kise-kun’s name.”

Murisakibara’s height had helped him find Kise’s phone, wallet, and school pass. 

“They were on top of a wardrobe that I had to stand on a chair to reach,” he informed their leader. “There’s no way that Kise-chin could have reached it. Or put it up there.”

Last was Kagami. “I’m not saying how it happened, but a few drawers were unlocked in the study, so I grabbed papers that had Kise’s name on them. I didn’t read ‘em, but…” Kagami looked away. “You’ll probably want to.”

Akashi raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. 

“We seem to have everything. Ryouta? We are leaving now. I’ve called a taxi and we will all be traveling to Taiga’s.” Akashi looked again at Kise. He was covered again, but even underneath the blanket Akashi could tell he was shaking. He’d made it to the door before, but would he make it down to the road? “Atsushi. You will carry Ryouta. No Daiki! Atsushi is the strongest and we need… Atsushi be gentle, he’s not well right now.”

“Akashicchi, no-“

“Akashicchi, yes.” He gently corrected. “Testuya, bring me Ryouta’s hat.”

When it was in his hands, he gently pulled the blanket back. Although Kise looked away, even through all the swelling, he could see the tears in his eyes. Lips pursed, he gently placed the hat on Kise’s head, before calling Murisakibara over. 

“Remember gentle.”

They would all remember the moans of pain that punctuated the trip back to Kagami’s. 

~o~

Kise was finally in the spare room, and Kuroko was sitting beside him, refusing to move until Kise fell asleep. They all knew Kuroko’s stubborn eyes when they saw them, and no one bothered to argue. He’d quietly ordered them out, and with no good reason to stay, they left. 

Kagami stormed off to the kitchen and started to cook, and Murisakibara ambled after him. 

“Kaga-chin I need to eat.”

“What the hell? I’m making food, just wait!”

“Noooooo. I need something now. I need to eat something or crush something, and there’s nothing here to crush…”

It wasn’t too long before there was a crinkle and Murisakibara took a seat in the kitchen. That left Akashi, Midorima and Aomine in the lounge room. And Aomine was not happy. 

“What the hell happened!” Aomine was mad. He glared at Akashi (but not for too long), and then at Midorima. As the silence grew longer, Aomine growled. 

“I said-“

“I heard you, Daiki. And unfortunately, I do not know.”

Midorima cleared his throat. “Those bruises around his wrists… they weren’t new. At least not all the bruising was new. And if he has bruises there…”

He trailed off, but Aomine got it for once. Probably because it was about basketball. 

“So he hasn’t been playing because he’s _hurt_? Why didn’t he say anything?”

“Probably didn’t trust you.”

Kagami was back, carrying food dishes to the table. Slow on his heels came Murisakibara, with a pile of bowls. 

“Set the table, I’ll get the rest.”

Successfully disrupting the flow of conversation, the boys shuffled around until the table was set, and the meal had been dished up. They were all settled when Kuroko reappeared. He quickly held up a hand to forestall any questions. 

“He’s asleep and he didn’t say anything. But I do have his phone and it’s unlocked.”

Akashi held out a hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Kuroko dropped it in his hand. 

“We eat, and then we can discuss this,” Akashi calmly informed the room. 

The Miracles of course, were inclined to obey him. Kagami felt his hackles rise, but there was no point in picking a fight. This was only for the first skirmish, and there were some real battles in their future. 

~o~ 

Once the table was clear and the dishes done (“We are guests, and as such help to clean. Yes, even you, Daiki”), the boys settled themselves around the lounge room and looked to Akashi. Even Kagami, who died a little on the inside realising he was just following along. 

“Ryouta can’t stay there. From what I can tell, from his emails and from the documents Taiga secured, his manager is his guardian in Japan, and has control of the house, and all of Ryouta’s assets.”

What the hell? No one said it aloud, but they all thought it. 

“It appears that Ryouta is better at keeping secrets than I thought.” Akashi looked displeased. 

“Why is his manager his guardian? Isn’t that… odd? What about his parents?” Not that Kagami had any idea over Japanese guardianship laws (although… should he have one? His dad lived in America after all), but it seemed pretty weird that his _parents_ weren’t somehow involved. 

“As I said, I looked over those papers you gave me, and it appears that his parents haven’t been around since he was 14. There was no reason listed.”

“But isn’t his manager the one hurting him? Does that mean this has been happening for more than two years?”

Aomine and Murisakibara growled. Kuroko’s eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. Midorima’s glasses flashed as his mouth tightened. Kagami felt his own expression change, although Akashi seemed to look the same. Although…

“You’re really pissed off, aren’t you?” 

Looking at Kagami, Akashi laughed lightly. “Not only does Ryouta not trust us, but I missed something. Something big that has been going on for a very long time. Something that was happening while I was still his captain at Teiko. So no, Taiga. I am not pleased. And whilst there is nothing I can do to make amends for past missteps, I can certainly change how things are now. I’m not going to be able to do it alone though.”

That probably pissed him off as much as anything, Kagami decided. 

“What if Kise-kun doesn’t want our help?” Kuroko’s voice was soft, and his eyes had shifted to his lap. 

That was met with silence. 

“It’s not outside the realms of possibility,” Akashi admitted. “But I think in this case, he might have no choice. His manager is dangerous. That’s…”

No one wanted to say the words _abuse_ out loud, although they all thought it. Clearing his throat, Akashi continued. 

“We know now, and it can’t go on. I am not inclined to the dramatic-"

Lies! Thought most of the room. 

"- but next time Ryouta could be killed. Our first job it to get him out of there - which we are half-way to doing. The second job is to regain his trust. And that might be the hardest thing to do.”

Kagami hoped they all felt really, really guilty. Sure, Kise could be annoying – how he had that much energy was anyone’s guess, but all of them could be annoying. Kagami looked at Akashi out of the corner of his eye. Except possibly Akashi. He was too terrifying to be annoying, but for the rest of them… 

Midorima cleared his throat. “We can’t really make many plans until we talk to Kise.”

“Agreed, Shintarou. I have a few ideas, but we will have to wait to see what Ryouta says.”

“I don’t think that Kasamatsu-san would know what’s going on for Kise.”

Kagami blinked at Kuroko. “Is that important.”

Kuroko elbowed him in the ribs. 

“Kuroko!”

“Imagine if we were injured. Would you really not tell Hyuuga-senpai? Could you imagine what he and coach would do if we waited to tell them?”

Shuddering, Kagami shook his head. Coach was scary, but so was Hyuuga. 

“Okay, so maybe we should make a list of who we think we should talk to? We don’t need to do anything until after we talk to Kise, but…”

They agreed it was a good idea. After all, doing something was better than doing nothing. Not that there was a lot they could do. The only thing they agreed on was that Kise’s manager had been abusing him and his parents don’t care and he had to live somewhere else - but they couldn't agree on where. 

“Damn! That... that Kise! Why didn’t he just _say_ something?”

Aomine’s outburst was echoed with far less swearing by most in the room. It was a good point, Kagami thought, although not helpful. What they really needed to consider was where would Kise stay. 

“He can stay here,” said Kagami.

Everyone turned and stared at him. “I’ll have to ask my dad, but I live here alone, there’s a spare room…”

“But he goes to school in Kaijo. That’s way too far to commute every day.”

“It’s only an hour. I commuted further to Teiko-“

“We’re not all crazy, Mido-chin.”

“Talk to Kasamatsu?”

“We already said we shouldn’t talk to anyone without asking Kise-“

“Well Kise should have asked for help.”

The room got louder, yet somehow Kuroko heard the small thump and cry from the spare bedroom. Slipping off, he opened the door, only to find Kise sprawled on the floor. 

“Kise-kun!”

First shock, and then shame flashed across Kise’s face, before he hid it. It was the first time Kuroko really watched Kise’s face shut down, and he realised that they’d been seeing that expression a lot. 

“Ah. Kurokocchi. I… uh… I tried to walk to the bathroom but I don’t know where it is…”

“I’ll get you help, Kise-kun.”

“Oh no, I-“ 

There was no way that he was going to listen to Kise’s disagreement. He couldn’t even walk! The argument was still going strong when he returned, so he just slid up next to Kagami.

“Kagami-kun.”

Kagami screamed. Although he maintained his outward expression, Kuroko was laughing on the inside. Even under these terrible conditions, he loved scaring his friends. 

“For crying out loud, can you just-“

“Kise needs help getting to the bathroom.”

“Huh? Oh… yeah of course. I’ll be back in a minute,” he informed the Miracles, “and if Kise feels up to it, I’ll bring him out.”

“Hang on, Bakagami, he needs to-“

“ _Kise_ needs to have some choices given back to him.”

Aomine glared, but he backed down. Kagami waited a moment, to see if there would be any further disagreement, and when there was none, he headed back to Kise. 

The room was silent as Kagami stalked out. Aomine ran a hand through is hair. 

“Look, I know he’s not wrong, but Kise-“

“I can’t believe that baka made sense.”

Midorima didn’t often show anger, and even now it wasn’t about Kagami. When was the last time he’d thought to give Kise his lucky item? Gemini had had a long streak of bad luck recently, but he hadn’t even thought to try and make things better. How could he have- 

“We’re all in the wrong, Shintarou. All of us.”

Murisakibara made a face but didn’t disagree. “What can we do then?”

Kuroko looked back to where Kagami was helping Kise to the bathroom. 

“This time we listen to Kise-kun.”

~o~

“Uh… you really don’t have to come in with me, Kagamicchi.”

Blushing bright red, Kagami disagreed. “I know it’s embarrassing, Kise, but you can’t even stand.”

“Ahhhhhhh but it’s too much! I just…” Kise knew there was no way he’d be able to convince Kagami otherwise, so he just sighed. “Can you just sit me here and leave me a little privacy. I promise I will call you when I’ve finished.”

It was a lie. As soon as Kagami gave him space he would do everything he could. Apparently, his face was so swollen Kagami missed his earnestness. 

“You can flush the toilet-“

“Kagamicchi!”

“-but if you do anything else without calling me in, you aren’t going to be allowed to do anything alone until you are fully healed.” Kagami gently lowered Kise and then cast an eye over him. “And I’m no medic, but I think you’re looking at months. _Months_ , Kise, so if I was you, I would call me back in.”

Turning on his heel, Kagami left a stunned Kise behind him. Realising that Kagami wasn’t going to back down, Kise quickly did his business and called Kagami back. 

“This is embarrassing and I hate you,” Kise told him conversationally. 

“You can hate me as much as you like, you can hate all of us, but we’re helping you now. You feel up to coming into the lounge room? We all want to talk to you, and I could make some food…”

“I don’t think I could eat, Kagamicchi,” Kise told him with an apologetic smile.

“You need to-“

“I know, I know, but my…” Shit! Kise blinked back tears. He really didn’t want to talk about this.

Kagami swallowed the lump in his throat. The next little while wasn’t going to be easy. 

“Okay, how about this. I take you into the loungeroom where everyone is. We get you set up as comfy as possible, and I'll make you tea, and then you only have to answer the questions once. And… and we can try and figure out what to do next.”

Squinting, Kise thought about it. “I don’t really know what you mean by-“

“Let’s just go talk to everyone, yeah? It’ll be easier.”

Sighing, Kise allowed himself to be supported.

“This is gonna hurt,” Kagami warned him, as he got an arm around Kise’s waist. 

It took a lot of time, and a lot of bitten back tears before the pair to make it to the lounge. Midorima immediately jumped up and helped Kagami bring Kise to the sofa. Aomine moved over, but only so that Kise could be placed next to him. He then wrapped a gentle arm around Kise’s shoulder and pulled him in close. Kuroko took Kise’s other side, and took Kise’s hand in his. When everyone had settled themselves around Kise (Murisakibara at Kise’s feet, Akashi and Midorima in lounge chairs facing the sofa, and Kagami pulled one of the dining chairs around so he was near Kuroko), Akashi cleared his throat. 

Kise looked up, and Midorima closed his eyes. 

“Akashi-“

“I know, Shintarou.” Akashi pulled his chair closer. “Ryouta, can Shintarou clean your face?”

Kise raised one hand to his bruised cheek. “You can’t wash bruises off, Akashicchi. And I got most of the blood off before-“

“Kise, please let me wash your face.”

Please. Midorima said please? That was… unusual. Slowly, Kise nodded his head, before whispering, “Please be gentle”. 

Midorima _was_ gentle, but it still hurt. 

~o~

“That was a lot of blood, Kise.”

Aomine was staring with horror at Midorima’s water bowl. So was Kise. 

“I… I guess something else started bleeding?”

“You need to go to a doctor to get checked out. I don’t think anything’s broken, but you might have some facial fractures, and don’t mess around with head wounds.”

Kise was feeling a little bit overwhelmed. 

“I don’t think-“

“Kise-kun.” 

Kise turned his head slightly. 

“I know this is overwhelming. And I know we haven’t been here for you. But that is changing. That has changed. We came to your house today because we were worried. And finding you like this…” Kuroko took a deep breath. “Finding you like this is worse than anything I could have imagined. I hate that this has happened to you, and I will do _everything_ I can to make it better, and to make sure it never happens again. I know we need to earn your trust back, and I know that is going to take time, but even if you don’t want our help, we are going to help you.”

Kise opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words came out. 

“Yeah. What Kuroko said. I know… I know we have a lot of making up to do, but it’s starting now, Kise. You may not like us much at the moment, but you aren’t getting rid of us. Not when you need help-“

“But I don’t!”

Six pairs of eyes bored into him, and Kise blushed. At least, they assumed he did. It was hard to see under all the bruising. 

“I mean, this is just a blip! Normally I-“

“Kise-chin needs looking after.”

Kise looked down at the purple head at his knee. “Eh? You too, Murisakibacchi?”

“Ryouta. We haven’t done the right thing. We _know_ that. And there’s not a lot I can do about that right now. But what Tetsuya said is correct. We are going to help you, because you need it. And because you are our friend.”

Much to his embarrassment, Kise burst into tears. Not his normal tears. No Kise sobbed out hurt that spanned years. Hurt that covered more than his team mates would understand, more than Kise really understood. And through out it all, he was surrounded by his… friends. Could he call them friends? When that thought crossed his mind he cried harder. 

He didn’t see Akashi’s clenched fist, or the panic that crossed Midorima’s face. He didn’t see Murisakibara’s narrowed eyes, or the way Aomine bit his lip and Kuroko and Kagami exchanged helpless glances. However, he did feel the way they surrounded him with warmth and gentle pressure and how they didn’t move, not even after he’d cried himself out. 

And when he opened his eyes, some time later they were still all there.

~o~

They didn’t get to discuss much more. Kise fell asleep after crying, and while the Miracles spoke in hushed whispers about they should do now, Kagami went and got blankets. 

“It’s not that I want you all to stay here,” he told them bluntly, “but Kuroko looks like he’s not going anywhere, and I imagine at least a couple of you feel the same.”

Aomine, who had Kise’s head cradled against his shoulder sent Kagami a defiant look, and reached imperiously for a blanket. Rolling his eyes, he handed him one (and applauded his own self control because really what he wanted to do was throw it at the baka’s head). Kuroko, after feeling all the blankets chose the one he thought was softest, and placed it over Kise, tucking it around him. Murisakibara reached soundlessly for one, and once it was placed in his hands, wrapped it around himself. 

Akashi looked at Kise’s phone and for once looked conflicted. 

“It’s not too late, but I am wondering if we should ring Kise’s captain. This is going to affect his playing, not to mention his school attendance.”

They all jumped when Kise’s phone started to ring. That woke Kise up, and he reached blindly towards the sound. Akashi pursed his lips but handed it over as Kise sat up. It was obvious that it made his head spin, and it was both disturbing and impressive watching the way he took not of who was calling and slipped his model persona on. 

“Senpai!”

The voice was way too perky. They’d all heard that voice _and_ they’d all believed it. 

“Oi, Kise. Where were you today? You’ve been missing practice far too much lately, and not even telling me, you brat.”

“Nooooo senpai! It was unavoidable! But… ah… work… work is a bit…”

“Spit it out, Kise.”

“Work is a bit busy and I know I was meant to come to training camp but I have go away, so if you send it to me, the training, then I’ll do it, I’ll make sure I do it all, and I’m really sorry but-“

“You’re going away? For work?”

Although it almost sent Akashi into a rage, Kise’s lying was impressive. He could now see how often Kise had been doing this. 

“Yes, I’m sorry, senpai! I should have told you sooner and - _Akashicchi!_ ”

“Hello. This is Akashi Seijuurou , Kise’s former captain. I believe I am speaking to Kasamatsu-san?”

There was silence on the other end, before Kasamatsu responded, his voice filled with mistrust. 

“Yes. This is Kasamatsu, I know you. Of you,” he corrected. “What are you doing with Kise?”

Akashi looked up, and Kise had his eyes open as wide as they would go, and was looking at him beseechingly and shaking his head. He knew exactly what Kise wanted, but also knew it was not the right thing to do. 

“We – that is the former Teiko team, and well as Kagami Taiga – are at Taiga’s flat. We… rescued Ryouta today.”

“Akashi no!” Kise’s words were quiet and forlorn. 

“What d’you mean rescued?”

When Akashi replied, he made sure he and Kise had eye contact. “It seems that Kise’s manager has broken his trust. When Kise missed our regular meeting today we went to find him. He was in his house, but he is currently hurt.”

“What? What do you mean _hurt_?”

“Kise has, from what we can tell, head injuries, bruising to most of his body, a twisted ankle, possible concussion, and at the minimum damage to his ribs.”

Kasamatsu was silent. And the silence felt endless. 

“It may be some weeks before he is ready to-“

“Put Kise on the phone.”

“With pleasure,” Akashi replied, handing the phone back to Kise. Who took the phone but only stared at it. Finally, with a lot of urging from Aomine, he raised it his ear.

“Cap-“

“I don’t want to hear a word, Kise. Tell me where you are and I’ll come over.”

“Senpai, no! You need-“

“Don’t you be telling me what I need to do, brat. Tell me the address so I can come right over.”

“But-“

“Kise.” Kasamatsu’s voice was deadly serious, and Kise burst into tears again. 

“I don’t know where I am!”

Kagami grabbed the phone. “Kasamatsu-san? This is Kagami, from Seiren. Kise’s at my place and come to-“

As Kagami gave the address, Aomine and Kuroko cuddled back up to Kise. After gently pushing Murisakibara out of the way, Akashi once more knelt before him. 

“I know that was hard, but things are going to get harder, Ryouta. You can’t lie to your captain – former or present.” Kise flinched, and internally Akashi acknowledged that might have been a little intense, but he was pissed off. “You can’t keep him out of this. It’s going to be weeks before you can train properly, and-“

“I’ll take care of it, Akashicchi. I will! I’ve done it before, and it’s not that bad-“

“Kise, I can’t even tell it’s you, your face is swollen so much!”

The words burst out from Aomine, and stunned the room to silence. Kise flinched back, and Kuroko glared at Aomine. 

“No, Tetsu. I’m not sorry for saying it! Yes, we screwed up, that’s clear, and we’re going to change it, Kise. We are going to be here. But saying that you are okay, when you are clearly not, and saying that it’s happened before!” Aomine looked away, blinking rapidly. After a few moments, he scrubbed his face with his free hand, before turning back to Kise. “It breaks my heart, Kise. That shouldn’t have happened then and it shouldn’t happen now. And I honestly don’t care if you tell me to go away, or stop, because I won’t. None of us will. We’re going to make sure you’re okay, and there is literally nothing you can do to stop us.”

Kise had forced his body forward, away from Aomine’s supporting arm, but Aomine moved with him, supporting Kise. He obviously needed it too, swaying uncomfortably. Midorima went to speak, and Akashi laid a hand on his arm. When Midorima looked down, Akashi shook his head. This time they had to wait for Kise. 

Kise took his sweet time, leaving them all in silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly, but it was long. Eventually he sighed, leaning back against the sofa, Aomine’s arm supporting his movement. 

“I don’t know what to do.”

Kise closed his eyes, and they all ignored the tears that rolled down his cheeks. It wasn’t long before he was asleep again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The immediate aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n I hope you enjoy this chapter!

“Kise-chin is stubborn,” Murasakibara informed the room. He had a small scowl on his face, which was as good as shouting his feelings out loud. 

Ridiculous, Kagami thought rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned, they were all stubborn. Kise though… Maybe Murisakibara had a point.

“I’m worried as well,” Kuroko admitted softly. “I don’t know what to do either. Even though I thought something was wrong, I thought it was something little. Something dramatic, but _Kise_. I never… I never imagined something like this.”

“He’ll have to go to a doctor tomorrow. At the very least he’ll want to know how this is going to affect his basketball.”

It seemed almost wrong, worrying about basketball, but Midorima was a tsundere, and showed his care in the oddest of ways. They could all tell he was worried for the Kaijo ace. Plus, once Kise was over the shock, he’d want to know as well.

“Oi, Akashi. Where’s he gonna stay? He can’t go back to that hellhole.”

“It wasn’t that bad, Aomine-“ Midorima was back in disagreeable mode, although _why_ Kagami couldn’t figure out. Surely, he’d just shown worry?

“Did _you_ clean up his blood? All of it? Because if not it looks like a crime scene.”

“It _is_ a crime scene,” Midorima bit out. 

Wow. Midorima was all over the place, was Kagami’s first thought, before the words really infiltrated. And then that stopped the room, because no one – except possibly Akashi – had thought of it like that.

Kise was beaten and left almost for dead in that room. Then his manager took or hid all his belongings so he wouldn’t be able to escape. It was as fucking crime scene! 

Kuroko looked down at his balled fists again, while Aomine’s hand fluttered uselessly over Kise’s head. Murasakibara was towering over them all and looked like he was wanted to crush something. Luckily, before Kagami had to save his apartment, there was a loud knock at the door. 

“It’s probably Kasamatsu. I’ll get it.” Kagami pushed himself up and went to the door. To be honest, he was glad to get away from Miracles. Not only were they worried about Kise, there was a lot of guilt in that room. And none of them were the best at dealing with emotions. 

Not that Kagami was judging, he just didn’t want to be in the firing line.

There was another sharp rap on the door, and opening it, Kagami was indeed greeted by Kaijo’s very intense captain. 

“Oi. You’re meant to check who’s at the door before you open it. Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Kasamatsu pushed past, slipping off his shoes before stalking towards the loungeroom. Kagami quickly caught him, grabbing onto his arm. 

“Kasamatsu-san, please wait.”

The captain paused and looked pointedly at his arm until Kagami dropped it. When he made eye contact with Kagami, he didn’t look pleased. 

Kagami took a deep breath. “I just need to warn you, Kise looks really bad. Like… you can barely tell it’s Kise. And everyone is freaking out and no one really knows what to do. So,” Kagami took another breath. Kasamatsu’s stare was off putting. How did light hearted Kise put up with this guy? “I guess you’re probably angry, but please…”

He trailed off, not really knowing what to say. Please be gentle? Please be kind? The captain crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Kagami. He must have seen something, because his eyes softened the tiniest bit and he nodded his head before then turning on his heel continued stalking into the lounge room. He did stop at the entry, surveying the boys scattered about. When his gaze settled on Kise, Kasamatsu closed his and took a deep calming breath. And then another. And yet another. When he finally opened his eyes, he narrowed them at Aomine. 

“You. Aomine, right? Move.”

Aomine did not move. 

“What? No! Kise is resting on me, and is finally comfortable. Get Tetsu to move.”

Kuroko narrowed his eyes at his friend, and moved closer to Kise. 

“I refuse.”

To say Aomine was shocked was an understatement. 

“What the hell? Tetsu, you have to-“

“Daiki. In this case, I believe Tetsuya is the more stubborn one.” Akashi’s eyes flickered to Kasamatsu. “Although perhaps not as stubborn as Kasamatsu-san.”

Ignoring the barb, Kasamatsu stalked over, and Aomine reluctantly gave up his seat. Even though he couldn’t stand Kise’s captain, and was furious at being moved, he worked in tandem to ensure Kise wasn’t hurt during the transition. Kise was raised, with Kagami and Kuroko keeping him steady until the Kaijo captain was settled. Only then, with Kasamatsu and Aomine’s help did they gently lower Kise, until his head was laying in Kasamatsu’s lap. 

“Don’t know why I even had to move,” Aomine grumbled loudly. 

Kasamatsu was used to Kise’s constant moaning, and didn’t even acknowledge Aomine’s rather minor complaints. Laying a gentle hand across Kise’s head, Kasamatsu winced as he looked at the bruises and bloody streaks and felt bumps and rough ridges. Biting his lip, he kept it there, watching as Kise mumbled a bit, even in sleep face scrunched up in pain, before settling more firmly against his captains’ lap. Although Kuroko didn’t say anything, he radiated approval and pressed in slightly closer to Kise.

They sat in quietly, all eyes on Kise. Finally, with a deep sigh, Kasamatsu let his head drop back, although he looked at Kuroko out of the corner of his eye. 

“You look like you’d rather be all over him right now. Although I guess that’s more Kise’s style.”

Midorima cleared his throat, but it was Murasakibara who replied. 

“Kise-chin is too sore to cuddle. Otherwise _I_ would be doing that right now. I’m the biggest, with the biggest arms and the biggest lap. He’d be most comfortable there. You’re only a little captain.” It was amazing how petulant the giant could sound. “I carried him to the taxi, because he’s got too many bruises and couldn’t walk. Kise-chin shouldn’t have that many bruises.”

“How bad is his bruising? And how extensive? And how do you know? Actually,” Kasamatsu held up a hand, “don’t answer that. Not yet. Just tell me what happened. Start at the start.” 

Although his voice was low, it demanded answers. Teiko’s Miracles looked to Akashi. Even Kagami looked. Not because he respected the bastard, but because he was more likely to know. Also, he definitely didn’t want to be the one answering Kasamatsu’s questions right now. Without acknowledging any of the looks, Akashi cleared his throat.

“Ryouta hasn’t told us anything. In fact, there has recently been a sort of a… distancing with the friendship. Kise has spent a lot of time both today and over the last few months telling us he has everything under control and doesn’t need our help.” Akashi gave a humorless smile as Kasamatsu stared incredulously at Kise’s swollen face. “Yes. Exactly. It’s… fair to say that we haven’t been the best friends to Ryouta recently, and we absolutely willing to believe the worst. Even though I don’t know specifics, I think that… that this is an escalation of something long-term, rather than something new. We… we believe that Kise’s manager has been hurting him for a long time. I can only guess, but I think that today Kise said something his manager didn’t like, and, well,” Akashi gestured at the sleeping Kise, “that is the result. We meet up and play basketball most Fridays. Kise hasn’t played streetball with us in…”

Akashi trailed off, but Midorima took over. “He hasn’t played in at least six weeks. We’ve seen him in that time, Maji Burger, but he hasn’t played. It’s not exactly unusual. He might go missing for a week, and when he came back would eat with us and not play for a few weeks. I… I didn’t realize anything was wrong. I… I thought he was just being difficult.”

Midorima’s mouth turned down in a frown, and he blinked rapidly. 

Kasamatsu was furious. Although not only at these kids. Not really at these kids. It was easy to forget they were first years – just babies really, and didn’t know how to communicate. In spite of their ridiculous powers, they were just a bunch of kids who needed looking after. Looking down at the one resting on his lap, Kasamatsu thought maybe he got the one who needed the most care. 

“Okay, that fits in with what’s been happening at Kaijo. He has been turning up to most practices, but he’s been a bit off, and just hasn’t been at his peak for a couple of months. The stubborn brat said everything was fine, and when it comes down to it, you believe Kise. He’s usually an honest kid.”

“I think he didn’t want to worry you, Kasamatsu-san.” Kuroko was staring down at Kise. He still felt ashamed. They knew Kise better than his new team, and it was their responsibility, and-

“Ow!” Kuroko looked up after receiving a rather hefty chop to the head. 

“I can tell what you’re thinking, Kuroko, and sure, there might be some blame to you, his friends, but ultimately it was _this_ brat,” and he punctuated his words with a very gentle press of his hands to Kise’s head, “that decided that he didn’t need to tell anyone what was going on.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.” Akashi interrupted. “We… we think it’s been going on for a long time. Not just weeks, but years, based on something he said today.” 

Kagami raised an eyebrow. Apparently, he wasn’t going to tell Kasamatsu that they’d lifted all of Kise’s paperwork. And since Kagami was the one who stole it, he wasn’t jumping in to fill in any gaps. Although… was it stealing? It was Kise’s and Kise was here… 

Damn he wished there was a responsible adult! This was too hard.

“I’m assuming he’s staying here tonight?”

All the boys exchanged looks. 

“Well… Kise’s welcome to stay here, of course.” Kagami felt like he needed to make that clear, since it was his house. “But, ummmmm, he hasn’t said what he wants to do, and he can’t go back to his house-“ 

“Why?”

“Uhhhh…”

“Kise’s bastard of a manager locked him inside, and took away all his stuff – his school ID, wallet, anything that would have let him get out of there. Murasakibara only found it because he’s tall. There’s blood all over the place, to be honest it looks like a murder scene, and we, all of us, went through the house and took all his personal stuff so he doesn’t need to go back. He shouldn’t go back. _Ever_.” Aomine sent the captain a furious, challenging look. Kasamatsu didn’t react, just looked thoughtful. Angrily thoughtful, but angry seemed to be his default. Before he could reply, Kise’s phone rang. 

Like before, even half asleep Kise immediately reached for it, and Midorima gently put it into his hands. Kise didn’t even open his eyes as he fumbled at answering the call. 

“Oi, Kise! Don’t answer that!” Kasamatsu’s response was too late to stop Kise who was already saying _Hello_ in voice much louder and much chirpier than Kasamatsu’s hissed warning. 

They all cringed at the brightness in Kise’s voice. They all cringed knowing they’d been on the receiving end of that tone. Kasamatsu glared at Midorima, completely blaming the kid. To be fair, Midorima did look guilty.

_“I thought I told you to stay put, you useless brat! Get back here right now, Kise. I don’t know what you think you’re playing at, but you-“_

Someone was yelling through the phone. Kise jerked upright, attempting to… do what Kagami had no idea. Sound less injured? 

“Ah I’m sorry Yamamoto-san, but I had to step out. I… I…” 

Kise desperately looked around, and made a desperate shooing motion with his free hand. To Kise’s dismay, everyone in the room crossed their arms and glared, forming a solid and immoveable ring around him. There was no way they were leaving Kise alone.

Not this time.

~o~

Kise could feel himself getting flustered. He had to have this conversation in private! It was going to be hard enough. Bracing one hand against Akamatsu’s knee (oh no! when did senpai get there?), he went to stand up, but found himself unable to move. Looking up, Murasakibara had both hands on his shoulders and a stubborn look on his face.

“Murasakibaracchi?”

_”Kise? Don’t you ignore me! If you come back immediately, I’ll ignore your poor behavior. This time.“_

Damn, Kise could hear the threat in Yamamoto’s voice. 

“You can’t go anywhere, Kise-chin.”

Now, Kise absolutely wanted to go somewhere. He wanted to get away from the concerned expressions, and the anger in the air, and more than that he wanted to have this conversation with his manager - _former manager_ , he quickly corrected himself – in private. 

“Excuse me, Yamamoto-san, I’m just trying to get some privacy.” Holding the phone against his chest, Kise attempted to glare at his friends. “You need to go! This is a private conversation…”

To Kise’s dismay, Kasamatsu took the phone right out of his hand. Terrified at what he was going to say, Kise was shocked when he just hung up. Silently, Kasamatsu handed it back to him. Staring at the blank screen, a little part of Kise wondered why he hadn’t done that before. 

Slowly, nervously, Kise put the phone on the coffee table in front of him.

And then it started to ring again, it’s vibrations loud against the tabletop in the quiet room. Nervously, Kise twisted his hands in his lap, but when he reached towards the phone, Kasamatsu moved it away. 

“I need to answer that.” Kise was glaring at the phone, tears in his eyes. 

“Why?”

Shocked, Kise looked up into his captain’s face, and for the first time Kasamatsu saw the full extent of Kise’s injuries. While his Teiko friends had done their best to clean him up, the head wound was still bleeding sluggishly, the thin trickle of blood contrasting painfully with the bruises and swelling marring his face. 

“Kise,” Kasamatsu kept his face gentle. “Whatever happens next, you are not going to be in the care of that man.”

“But he’s my guardian and-“

“A guardian has a duty of care. He’s broken any trust you had in him. I’m not sure what we do next, Kise, but no way in hell are you going back there.”

Kise squinted at him through swollen eyes. It wasn’t that he disagreed with Kasamatsu. At the back of his mind, he was actually afraid. He knew it had been wrong, but this? This was… Yamamoto hadn’t cared who saw what he did to Kise, and he could easily do it again. At that thought, Kise’s eyes started watering again. Kise wasn’t used to being afraid. He’d had to look after himself for so long, and here? Now? He was surrounded, no, not surrounded. He was being scarily _supported_ by the people who had actually saved him. 

Them caring? Apparently, that was his breaking point. 

A stoic Kasamatsu ended up hugging a sobbing Kise to his chest until he fell asleep. 

~o~

While his focus was all on Kise, it was easy to ignore the Miracle storm clouds around him, but once Kise dropped off into an uneasy sleep– 

Sighing, Kasamatsu looked around. Sure, they were all uncomfortable – what teenage boy really has the sort of emotional capacity to deal with this? But it’s more than that. They’re crackling with anger. More than one Miracle uselessly clenches and unclenches their fist as they stare off into the distance. They want to do something. They’re angry and want to do _something_. Kasamatsu understands the feelings – seeing Kise, his _kohai_ so injured is nothing short of a shock. He can’t go back and change the past though, all he can do is work on the future. Time to redirect the angry children.

He looks to Akashi. “I assume you Miracles have some sort of plan.”

Akashi nods, then shakes his head. “Not exactly. I understand many of the things that need to be done, but to start the processes I need to talk to some adults. And Kise. Much as I just want to make all the decisions so he doesn’t have to think about any of this, he’s still a minor who needs a guardian.”

Nodding, Kasamatsu considered. “Do you know anyone? His family?”

The boys all looked despondent. Unexpectedly, it was Kagami who spoke up next. 

“Kise’s parents have been overseas for years, so they are kinda distant guardians. Could we do that again?” At the blank looks he tried to explain further. “The guardian, they don’t really need to be involved, do they?”

“What do you mean?” Kasamatsu wasn’t going to let Kise get into another dangerous situation.

“Well…” Kagami ran an uncomfortable hand through his hair. “I mean I don’t really know what the deal is with his parents, and his manager is dangerous, so it could just be someone on paper, right? And,” Kagami spoke quickly, obviously nervous about it all, “I figured Kise would end up staying here, at least for a little while, since I have so much room, and if it’s okay with Kise, and my dad, why couldn’t my dad sign on to be his guardian? Wouldn’t be worse than what he had.”

Kasamatsu felt his eyebrows rise. Were all of these kids unsupervised? Yeah, Kise had the worst of it, but still-

“Would he do that, Taiga?” 

-apparently it was normal for sixteen-year-olds to just not have anyone to look after them. Kasamatsu frowned darkly at the blonde sleeping in his arms. He didn’t like the sound of this. And while wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do, but things were going to be very different for Kise Ryouta.

Kagami shrugged. “It can’t hurt to ask. The worst he can say is no, but like, it’s better than whatever is currently going on for Kise.”

“A guardian in name only,” Akashi spoke quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I like the idea, Taiga. And I will keep on making some inquiries for other guardians who can act in name only. You probably need permission for Kise to move in?”

“From Dad? I don’t think Dad’ll care, but it’s a good opening line. Yeah.” Standing up suddenly, Kagami clenched his fists. “I’ll go ask now. It’s daytime in the US so I won’t be waking him.”

And like that he was out of the room. 

“I see Kagami-kun is just as worried about Kise-kun.” Kuroko couldn’t help but feel warm towards his team mate. He hadn’t always gotten along with Kise, but Kagami was a warm and caring person. Kuroko cast a subtle look around the room. They all were. Despite what had happened they were all there and worried about Kise.

“We should still document his injuries.” Midorima pushed his glasses back. He knew they needed to and they needed to do it soon, but Kise looked so small, so damaged. 

Kasamatsu nodded. “He’ll do it when he wakes up.”

~o~

When Kagami returned, Kise was still asleep. Flanked by Kasamatsu and Kuroko, he looked pretty comfortable, although Aomine was seated opposite and glaring daggers at Kise’s captain. That surprised Kagami – he hadn’t realized Aomine felt so strongly about Kise. 

“Okay, so Dad says he’s happy to be guardian on paper.”

Midorima stared at him. “What sort of man is your father? He hasn’t even met Kise?”

Shrugging uncomfortable, Kagami wasn’t really sure what to say. “I mean, Dad’s life is in the US. I only see him if I go over there. Since he’s never here, one or two kids, it doesn’t make much difference. If he comes over, he’ll want to meet Kise. And I guess they’ll have to meet on skype or something, but honestly?” Kagami shoots a look at Kise, making sure he’s still asleep. “Since it’ll be me and Kise on an everyday basis, Dad’s said it’s up to me, but he’s happy to help.” 

What Kagami _didn’t_ add was his father had also said while he was happy to be a guardian on paper, he didn’t really want any other involvement. Which meant he might have lied about the skype meeting, but Kise’s captain looked like he was about to haul Kise out of there at any moment. That wouldn’t help anything. Kise would be fine here, and Kagami’s dad, well, he’d always been an absent parent to Kagami. And it couldn’t be worse than whatever happened to Kise. 

It still made him feel a bit weird, and start to question some of his dad’s parenting. 

Akashi stared at him. Bastard probably knew exactly what happened, although he decided not to interrogate Kagami, and eventually he nodded. 

“As long as Kise has somewhere safe to live, in the short-term that works.”

With that big decision made, Kagami felt his anxiety spike. Literally everything about the day had put him on edge, and he can’t sit still any longer. But what should he do? They’re in _his_ space, and Kise is still unconscious although, so it’s not like he can put him in a bedroom. And he might wake up soon, which meant he should eat. Or at least drink something. 

Yeah, okay. If he was being honest, he was still a little shaken from the talk with his dad. That send his tension spiking and now he had all this nervous energy flooding his body. If they weren’t in the middle of an emergency, he’d drag Aomine out to play basketball, but a quick look showed Aomine was going nowhere. 

Ah well. Despite his own frustration, he was glad that they were actually stepping up and being friends now. God, poor Kise. To feel like he couldn’t tell anyone? Shaking his head, Kagami looked away. They better not desert him now. It wasn’t just his body that had to heal. 

It didn’t help him now though. He was jittery and he couldn’t keep a coherent thought in his head and there were just too many people in his apartment and- wait. He needed to organize that as well. 

“Are you all staying tonight?”

Even has he said it, Kagami knew it was a stupid question. He _knew_ that, and the way the Miracles tensed and stared at him was uncomfortable. God, all those creepy eyes on him. 

“Right! Well. If you’re all staying, I’m not going to have enough food to feed everyone tomorrow. And I sure as hell am not going shopping when I wake up, which means we go now. Who’s coming to the supermarket with me?

He looked around the room. Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to leave. Kasamatsu was still holding Kise, and Kuroko was right there, glued to Kise’s side. Akashi looked like he had things to do and that leaves-

“Shintarou, Atsushi. Go with Taiga.”

“But Aka-chin-“

“Now just wait Akashi-“

Holding up a hand, Akashi waited until they fell silent. “Nothing will happen in the time it takes you to go and buy food. And when Ryouta wakes he should eat something. Something light. And Taiga makes a good point, with six, eight of us, it isn’t reasonable he takes the responsibility for accommodating us all.”

Still unhappy, the chosen Miracles could see the reasoning, and stepped out. The sooner they left, the sooner they’d be back. 

They leave an uncomfortable silence in their wake, because really, the next steps depend on Kise, and what he wants. Despite knowing that’s the best option, no one is really comfortable with that. Kise was the one who didn’t tell anyone what was happening. 

Sitting still, Akashi observed the room. Kasamatsu was cradling Kise gently, all the while glaring at his sleeping face, muttering _no common sense. None at all. What they hell did they teach you at that school of yours_? Aomine paced the room and Kuroko looked like he wants to tell him to stop, but decided not to. 

Akashi could understand both of them. Aomine wanted to do something – anything! – but he’s useless. Akashi, too, feels useless, and that is not a situation he is often in. 

They sat in silence. It wasn’t actually uncomfortable, each of them in their own little world. It wasn’t until he heard Kagami, Midorima and Murasakibara returning, that straightened up and grabbed his notebook. Kasamatsu’s eyes tracked the groceries and the basketball players from the door to the kitchen and back again, and then he turned his stare on Akashi. 

“What are you doing, Akashi?”

“Just making a list of what we need to decide upon. Well, what decisions Ryouta will have to make. I started it earlier, but interruptions keep happening. Even if I can’t actually organize anything, I can at least work out what needs to be done. Of course Kise will be leaving that manager of his, and-“

“I already quit.” Kise’s voice was quiet, but it stopped the room. 

“Oh, so you’re awake then.” 

Kasamatsu doesn’t sound pleased, but Aomine was already speaking over him. “You what? When?” 

“Today. Earlier. Before. Before Yamamoto-san…” Kise trailed off, shaking his head. 

Kise went to sit up again (he feels at a disadvantage lying down, Akashi noted distantly). He still needed Kuroko and Kasamatsu’s support.

While they helped a shaking and whimpering Kise, the rest of Miracles, and Kagami, exchanged horrified glances. The manager did this because Kise _quit_? Before anyone else could ask a question, Kise was upright and glaring at them, the glare somewhat tempered by the way his eyes were swollen shut. 

“I’m not an invalid.”

Kasamatsu was taking none of Kise’s shit.

“You absolutely are, Kise. You just needed help to even sit up, your face is a mess, and I have no idea how extensive your injuries are.” It was hard to ignore Kasamatsu’s point. “In fact, tomorrow we’re going to the doctor to get you checked out, and you won’t be practicing again until you get the medical all clear.”

For once Akashi was grateful to have another captain, Kise’s current captain, there. Yes, Kise would do what he told him, but Kasamatsu was also his senpai. And he could actually enforce his orders.

Kise looked heartbroken. “But, senpai-“

Kasamatsu was made of stern stuff. “No buts. Your health comes first. What if you’re injured and damage yourself permanently? It’s not worth it. You are worth so much more than that. So, as your captain, I’m ordering you on medical leave.”

“But, senpai-“ Kise tried again.

“I’ll be going with you.” It wasn’t a question. Kasamatsu didn’t trust Kise to report back accurately. “And these friends of yours will help you sort of other things.”

“What other things?” 

“You can’t live there any more, Kise! The place was it’s unlivable! It’s… I…” Aomine stalked away before stalking right back. “I honestly thought it was a murder scene.”

“Sorry, I-“

“ _You_ have nothing to apologize for.” Aomine snarled. Then stopped, and narrowed his eyes. “Except perhaps for the fact that you’ve been hiding this for years.”

“It was never this bad, it just-“

“Not just the _abuse_ , Ryouta.” And yes, at word Kise gave a full-bodied flinch. “Were you living by yourself back in middle school?”

Instead of answering, Kise hissed. Which was a yes. Akashi hadn’t wanted to believe the documents, but the evidence was here before him. Shaking his head, Akashi looked at his hands. 

“I owe you an apology. I should have known that-“

“Okay, okay, okay,” Kasamatsu loudly interrupted. “Are all of you really this dramatic? No, don’t answer that.” Kasamatsu took a deep breath. “I think we can agree that a middle schooler is not responsible for the health and safety of a classmate. I also think we can agree that you, Kise, should have said something. But you didn’t. That’s… I’m not going to say fine, because it absolutely isn’t, but it is what it is. In the future however, if anything like this happens, if there is even a _hint_ of something like this happening, you tell someone.”

Kise opened his mouth to argue, and Kasamatsu pinned him with a glare. 

“That wasn’t a request.”

~o~

Kise looked away. It was weird. Normally he loved being the center of attention, but right now he would give anything to have them focus on something, anything else. And he didn’t know what to say! He didn’t want to burden anyone else, and up until this last time it hadn’t been that bad. Yamamoto was – had been – his manager after all, and he didn’t want any of the agency staff asking about bruises and-

“That’s absolutely horrific, Kise-kun. Just… none of that is okay! And the fact that you think it _is_ worries me greatly.”

With a start, Kise realized he’d been talking out loud. Kuroko, who hadn’t said anything was staring at him, with wide teary… wait. Teary?

“Don’t cry, Kurokocchi! It was honestly okay! And-“

“No, Kise-kun. It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. I… I can’t change the past. I can’t change that I didn’t pay enough attention to find out what was wrong. But from this moment on, that will be different. I don’t even care if you get sick of me asking questions, I’m not going to let anything like this happen again!”

Kise moved away from the words, pressing back against Kasamatsu. The words were… too honest. Too intense. Too much. It was something he’d never experienced from the shadow before, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it. 

“I think you’ll find everyone has a similar sentiment, Ryouta.”

“I was scared,” Aomine suddenly admitted. “And angry. Mostly angry with myself, since I was such as asshole to you, and you were just…” he trailed off. Kise was what? Too injured to play, but hiding it with a smile on his face? 

“You’re a good actor, Kise-“

“Aomeinecchi! Thank you!”

“That’s not a compliment! We’re your friends! You shouldn’t have to hide stuff from us. And the fact you did…” Aomine swallowed but didn’t finish his sentence. He was the worst. He was no sort of friend. And he’d do anything to make up for it. He was going to make up for it.

Kise’s head was spinning from all the intense emotions – his own _and_ the rest of the Miracles. Eventually he sighed, leaning back against his captain. Kasamatsu clucked around him, carefully making sure there was no pressure on anything. It was a kind thing to do, and Kise assumed it helped, but now that he was through the emotional rush, he was in so much pain, he wasn’t sure that senpai’s gentle arranging made any difference. Kise felt sorry for himself. Breathing was hard, his head hurt, his face was just one huge bruise. Yeah, he was a mess, although he decided not to say anything. They were already being weird about it all. 

It was Kasamatsu who broke the weird, silent stand-off. “Although there’s a lot to sort out, here’s what’s going to happen in the short-term-“

~o~

Kagami needed a break. The intensity in the room reminded him of the basketball court, when he got to face off against one of those monsters. There they could fight it out on the court, but here he had no way to burn off the excess energy. 

Kagami needed to do something, so with a muttered _I’m making tea_ , he hurried out of the room. He could still hear what was going on, but he didn’t have to be around it. Plus no one actually wanted tea. It was the perfect excuse to get away from them all.

Behind him he didn’t notice Kuroko follow him with his eyes, and then rise to tread quietly after him.

(When Kuroko moved to help Kagami, Aomine immediately sat in his space, angry eyes _daring_ anyone to get him to move. While Midorima and even Murasakibara started an argument with him, Kuroko silently approached Kagami.)

“Are you okay, Kagami-kun?”

Kagami jumped, but this time managed to stop his shriek. Thank god! “Jesus Christ, Kuroko! Get a fucking bell!”

Hand on heart, Kagami took a few calming breaths before considered Kuroko’s question. Was he okay? Today had been a lot. Not just with Kise, which was bad enough, but talking to his dad raised a lot of questions he wasn’t sure he wanted to think about. 

“Not… not really. Today’s been overwhelming. Like… you have really weird fucking friends. I’m… I’m glad Kise’s safe. I’m glad I was able to help, but it’s got me thinking about stuff too.” 

Kuroko didn’t push, just quietly got the cups and teapot out while Kagami boiled the jug. 

“And honestly? Your Miracles are a lot. Like… a _lot_. And it’s going to be good to have some space from them.”

“Ah.”

Kuroko’s voice was low, but Kagami heard. Spinning around, Kagami pinned him with a glare. Kuroko never made noises without intent.

“What does _ah_ mean, Kuroko?”

Kuroko fiddled with the cups for a moment, before sending Kagami his blankest stare. 

“I don’t think you will get much space from them.”

Kagami choked on air. “What the hell? Of course I will, they’ll go home and-“

“ _Kise’s friends_ , Kagami-kun. Kise’s friends just rescued him from a terrible situation and are feeling very guilty. And Kise is still very injured.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Shit! 

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Now he was going to have Miracles here all the time and-

“Kagamicchi?” Spinning around, Kagami found Kise wobbling at the door, Kasamatsu both supporting him and chewing him out for moving. “I… you don’t mind?”

Kise generally wore his heart on his sleeve, and his expressions on his face. His expressions were hidden under swelling and bruises, but his voice… his voice was so sweet and hopeful.

And suddenly it didn’t matter that he’d be seeing a lot more of the colorful skittles. Kuroko was his friend, and Kise was his friend too. 

“Yeah, Kise. I don’t mind at all.”

And they were all going to help, whatever came next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: yeeeeeeeeah. That’s a WIP done! One of my aims this year was to finish all my WIPs, so we are off to a good start! 
> 
> also? I freaking love Kasamatsu


End file.
